WEBVTT

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I also want to read a poem.

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Well, indeed.

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I have-- if you've ever read
a book called Generations,

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one of the things
about my father

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was that my father had
three daughters by three

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different women.

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So I have a sister who is six
months and two days younger

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than I. We are
very good friends,

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and I always call her to
remind her of her birthday.

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She's a thin tiny little
thing with no gray hair.

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And so as soon as
she turns my age

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I call her right
up and remind her.

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And to show how little
integrity I think I have--

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I wrote a poem for her on her
birthday once and it was--

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I sent it to her.

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And then I thought
about it and I liked it.

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So I wrote her and said
send me back the poem

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which she did, and it was
published in an Essence

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magazine.

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And I like it's sort
of an ethnic kind

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of-- ethnic references poem.

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So I always say
that if you don't

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understand what something
means ask somebody and see

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this gets us together as people.

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It's wonderful.

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This is called Sisters.

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And I'd like to read it
tonight, especially because I've

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made so many sisters here,
Lois and Gayle and Polly

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and, all my sisters here.

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Sisters, for Elaine
Phillip on her birthday.

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Me and you will be sisters.

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We be the same.

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Me and you coming
from the same place.

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Me and you be greasing our
legs, touching up our edges.

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Me and you be scared of
rats, be stepping on roaches.

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Me and you come running
high down Purdy street one

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time and mama laugh and
shake her head at me and you.

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Me and you got babies,
got 35, got Black.

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Let our hair go back.

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Be loving ourselves.

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Be loving ourselves.

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Be sisters.

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Only where you sing, I poet.

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[APPLAUSE]

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